If you are a marketer, you depend on effective content to reach and serve customers. However, we're now experiencing a tsunami of change in the ways such content can be created and distributed. Change may be good, but it can be filled with risk and confusion.

Creating great content is just the part of a content strategy -- once you've got it, you need to effectively market it. If nobody knows your content exists, then all of your hard work will be for naught. This article from Wild Pitch Marketing suggests five great outlets to use to garner attention for your content, including:

• Social media. "Networking and word of mouth is the most powerful promotional strategy to get the attention you need for your content."


• Search engine marketing. "...Optimize your content to produce better visibility in the search engines so that more people can discover your content..."


• Blogging. The ease of sharing blogged content (via syndication and widgets) allows others to help you distribute your content.

Head over to Wild Pitch Marketing to learn more about how to get your content noticed.

After 30 years of thinking about content, creating it or working with other content creators, Rex Hammock knows quite a bit about helping business people communicate better with their customers. In fact, our resident content marketing expert is in the middle of a new series, Content That Works, in which he outlines some practical ways to create engaging content that people actually look forward to reading and experiencing.

If you think marketing is about crafting showy, syrupy stories about your brand for a consumer audience, think again. Marketing is about finding the true stories that make your brand unique and using them to engage employees and consumers, blogs Brett Virmalo of digital agency Tippingpoint Labs. Ready to ramp up your marketing? Virmalo suggests focusing on these five areas.

•Product design and development. To market a product, build your messaging around the problem that your team set out to solve when they developed it.

•The post-purchase experience. Don't spam your customers with the next product you want them to purchase. Figure out what they are buying and how you can help them use it, so you can provide them valuable, relevant content.

•Customer support.When a customer has a problem or complaint, focus on how you can help them solve it as quickly and as painlessly as possible instead of explaining what went wrong.

•Product reviews. Are you engaging in online ratings and review spaces like Yelp, GetSatisfaction and the like? If not, you should be. Seize any opportunity to set the record straight when an unfair review is posted.

•Employees and CEOs. Think of every employee as a brand ambassador and encourage them to promote your brand through their social networks. Give CEOs a platform to blog or Tweet about your brand or position them as experts who are willing to speak at conferences, to reporters, ect.

We hear it all the time: Companies who treat their websites as "brochure" sites and then wonder why they don’t have more visitors. According to this content marketing post from Talk Back Media, "your site should be like a salesperson working around the clock to boost your business"—and a brochure site will simply not cut it. The goal is to create content on an ongoing basis that continues to tell the story of your product or service. It doesn’t matter what form the content takes—it can be through blogs, white papers, case studies or people pages—it just has to be vibrant, relevant and regularly updated. This discipline not only makes your site more attractive to search engines, but also to site visitors. They’ll have an incentive to come back to the site more often if they know the content will be different every time and of interest to them because you have set yourself up as an expert and a trusted source.

The photo of three angry-looking guys and the caption, "Are your people pages scaring away prospects?" accompanying this content marketing article by communications consultant Jon Buscall made me laugh. Maybe your company doesn't have people pages that would actually frighten away prospects, but are those pages showcasing your team in a way that would make those prospects eager to work with you?

Looking for a shortcut to creating an online buzz and driving more traffic to your Web site? While it's true there are overnight success stories of companies whose traffic spiked after something they posted went viral, this kind of success is only temporary, as this Buzz Factory blog points out. Instead shoot for lasting success, which comes from creating engaging content for your target market across several social media sites consistently and every day. Just a little bit of daily activity on your part will bring in traffic that will ultimately prove to be more beneficial than a one-time spike.

A successful content marketing strategy is not limited to only posting relevant, engaging content on your website. You have to learn how to take that great content and distribute it—syndicating it to other online outlets. One of those outlets is Twitter.

Twitter is where a growing portion of your audience is consuming their content, whether breaking news or pithy analysis. So embrace the power of Twitter to drive people back to your site’s compelling content. Twitter should become a larger source of your referring website traffic.

Wondering how to make Twitter part of your content marketing strategy? Here are three content marketing Twitter tips from Meqouda’s Amanada McArthur:

This film nerd always gets super-excited around Oscar time. Just for fun, I've checked out the content available on Oscars.com, sponsored by ABC, the home of this year's Academy Awards broadcast, and Oscars.org, the official site of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). These two sites have different strengths, but both add valuable content for their audiences.

How do you view your newsletter—whether e-mail or print? Do you see it as separate from your website? If so, you're potentially overlooking a huge opportunity to maximize your content marketing impact, says Newt Barrett on Web2journal.com.

In his post, Barrett shares seven ways to get more for your newsletter buck. Depending on your business, all seven of his ideas might not apply, but on his list are a few must-dos to make your newsletter work harder for you:

• Link each newsletter story to a page on your website. "You want your readers to find their way easily to your online home so they can discover lots more about your company, its products and its people," he says.
• Be sure to make RSS feeds available for your newsletter and for all of your web content. "This is an easy and free way of syndicating your news stories that will extend your newsletter subscriber base dramatically," Newt says.
• Be sure each article integrates social media sharing capabilities. "If you’re lucky, a great article may go viral and be spread across the web by enthusiasts who value and want to share your content," he says."

Valentine's Day is over, but if you're looking for a good content marketing strategy, you could probably take a few lessons from the best Valentine's cards and gifts you've received through the years. According to the Idea Launch blog, effective content marketing is like a valentine. It is:

•Funny
•Intelligent
•Keeps things fresh and exciting
•Trustworthy
•Dependable
•Thoughtful and considerate
•Understanding

Your blog, e-mail newsletter or Web site can be well-written and come with the best "packaging" in the world, but remember: If it doesn't have heart and connect with the audience, you won't make an impact.

If you are looking for the best places online to keep up with the latest on content marketing, look no further. The savvy folks of Junta42 have done the work for you—reviewing hundreds of blogs to come up with the best of the best when it comes to content marketing blogs for your reading pleasure. While we might be a bit biased (as our own Rex Hammock’s rexblog.com comes in at number 11), we think this is a great list full of cutting edge thinking about content marketing.

Here are the top 5 blogs from the list:

Many businesses have realized the importance of maintaining a blog, but how many see their blog as a product? New media marketing master Chris Brogan discusses the importance of viewing your blog as a part of a "content ecosystem," noting that as soon as you recognize your blog as "only 'a' channel, that’s when you start thinking of other outreach opportunities."

According to Brogan, being able to view your content -- and all of your products -- as an ecosystem instead of completely separate entities increases its value and opens the door for development.

If you're not getting all you want out of your content marketing efforts, this content marketing essentials article on copyblogger.com provides a few essential ideas on how to keep readers coming back for more.

1. Offer a reward. Give your readers something that will benefit them in some way. The content must entertain or help, and hopefully do both.
2. Show that you know your stuff, but don’t get a big head. Be a trustworthy source of information. Your readers want someone they can relate to, not an over-their-head college lecturer or smarter-than-everyone-else guru.
3. Create a relationship first: You won’t create relationships—or sell anything—without building trust. Think about creating a “content net” in which you can sell what you have over time and not rely on one hard sell.

Focusing on these content marketing basics and making them part of your overall content marketing strategy should help lead you to the results you are looking for.

Want to attract customers with your content marketing? One of the first steps to hooking readers is making sure that everything you publish is polished and error-free. Blogger Sean Rasmussen recommends these steps when editing online content:

•Let it rest. Don't rush to publish. After writing something, let it some time pass between your first draft and final edit. You'll be more likely to catch errors this way.

•Proof carefully. Always run spell-check, but remember it's not foolproof. Read your text thoroughly and ask someone else to proof it, too, so another set of eyes can catch what yours may have missed.

•Preview before publishing. If you're adding content to a system that allows you to do this, take advantage of it and check for proper formatting, line breaks and photo placement.

•Content first, SEO second. You want to drive search engines to your sales page, but don't put SEO keywords ahead of producing quality content. Write the piece first—and then add the keywords.

Is your company doing a good job executing your content marketing strategy? Are you struggling to find the resources to carry out all of your plans? Are you unsure about whether your content strategy is effective?

Today companies who provide relevant and engaging content for their customers and prospects are positioning themselves ideally to retain and attract new sales. That’s why it’s not a surprise that according to the results of the recent Junta42 Content Marketing Spending Survey, content marketing accounts for one out of every three marketing dollars spent. Having a content marketing strategy is important, but execution is key. Here are five tips on how to improve your content marketing implementation from interactive marketing strategist Heidi Cohen:

Still relying on old forms of media to get the word out about your business? If so, your content marketing strategy needs an update.

The mindset of prospective customers and buyers is evolving, says content marketing blogger Bernie Borges. An integrated approach of old and new is needed to get this audience to fully connect with your brand.

So, what exactly would such an approach look like? It could mean forging ahead with a brick-and-mortar trade show, while using blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to engage an audience before, during and after the event. (Hammock managed a similar old/new media blending with Association Media & Publishing last year.)

For more practical ways to take these old media formats--phone, print ad, tradeshows and direct mail--and convert them to new media marketing, read more of Borges' article here.

Here's one for the doesn't surprise us folder: Social media usage in content marketing jumped 500 percent in two years, according to a new Junta 42 study.

Other content products that have seen the biggest increases since 2008 are blogs, online video and eBooks, followed by digital magazines, podcasts and microsites.

Does this mean your company should be using the hottest tools and ditching the least popular ones? Not at all. What it means is that there are a lot more ways to communicate with your audience these days.

Are your content marketing efforts hitting a wall? Does it seem like your e-mail blasts and newsletters disappear into cyberspace? Do your carefully crafted Tweets, status updates and posts feel like a waste of time?

The truth is converting content into cash is easy, but it takes getting into the skin of your readers and winning their trust and friendship. Here are secrets on how to do this from online business blogger Dan Ohis:

A recent interview with Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 provides some great insight into the role of content today in the marketplace and why companies are looking to outsource the creation of this content to experts in custom media and content marketing. Today companies can’t rely on their customers to tell their story. They need their own custom content to tell their story, and then as Joe points out, "great content should spawn useful user-generated content."

Here are Joe’s keys to success in content marketing:

Have you ever heard the expression, "You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else"? Well, the expression applies not just in relationships, but also when it comes to your content marketing strategy, according to Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42.

In his latest blog post, Pulizzi acknowledges the fact that so many businesses spend countless hours and resources creating buyer personas (sometimes even giving them names), so they can understand who their customers are, without really understanding the brand they are selling (their brand persona).

How does this relate to content marketing? Isn't content marketing all about the customer? Clearly not, when you consider Pulizzi's example:

"Just think of the difference between Southwest and Continental airlines. Two reputable companies. Two very different companies. If Continental came out with a video series about their flight attendants doing tricks on passengers, it would seem severely out of place. Southwest, not so much."

It may seem like newspapers, magazines and television stations are the experts when it comes to developing local content, but small businesses could have a corner on that market, too—if they just took advantage of it. More consumers are seeking online content about events they can attend in the community and information about local organizations—and small businesses are in the prime position to fill that niche, according this BizReport blog.

Social networks are the best way to publicize this information because they are "becoming the new search engine," said Jon Zack, co-founder of EggZack.com, which gives businesses an online platform for creating, uploading and distributing online newsletters, event flyers and other marketing materials. Sharing content through social networks ensures that customers will hear about the event and perhaps even repost a link to the information for family and friends.

At Hammock, we know that a well-executed content marketing strategy will allow a client to influence the decision-making and buying behavior of their customers, which is why we were not surprised to read the results of the latest annual Junta 42 Content Marketing Spending Survey, showing that 59 percent of those surveyed plan to increase their spending on content marketing in 2010. For marketers, the research show that content marketing spending is growing rapidly as a portion of their overall budget—serving as 33 percent of current overall marketing budgets, compared to only 11 percent in 2008. Marketers are expected to spend those bigger budgets on social media (72 percent), enewsletters (63 percent), blogs (63 percent), whitepapers (48 percent) and article marketing (48 percent).

View the Content Marketing Spending Report.

You've heard it before, the people who don't really "get" Twitter say it's just for telling other people about what you had for lunch. But if you're a marketer, you know Twitter is (and can be) so much more than that.

Jason Falls knows this. In a recent post on Social Media Today, he breaks down the four social media marketing styles that he's observed using Twitter:

• The Conversationalist. Those who "use Twitter for their business, but seem more apt and willing to participate in the daily chitter-chatter..."
• The Conversational Marketer. The marketer on Twitter who "... has a more obvious, even stated, purpose for using Twitter."
• The Salesman. Falls says this is the marketer who pushes products more than 50 percent of the time, conversing with others even less.
• The Broadcaster. Falls initially called this type of marketer the "spammer," but notes many of them definitely have a following.

So, which marketing style do you have on Twitter?

Ten years ago, custom content meant a newsletter or a member magazine of varying sizes and frequency. And today? It probably wouldn't be an overstatement to say a company's options are endless in how it can reach and engage current and prospective customers.

As John Bell points out on his Digital Influence Mapping Project blog, custom content, especially the digital kind, today can take many forms.

It could be an app, like the ones created by Kraft Foods and Geico Insurance. Or it could be a community site, like Weber Nation, created for owners of Weber grills to share their tips, techniques and grilling victories.

And the list goes on. There are more options today than in the past, but the goal of custom content has always been the same—to engage customers in a meaningful way.

The challenge for marketers is figuring out which strategy works best for their audience. Are you a marketer facing that challenge? We can help.

You may have heard about the four P's of B2C marketing: product, price, placement and promotion. But what are the rules when it comes to B2B marketing? In his blog, marketing guru Paul Dunay outlines the four C's of B2B marketing, which he argues are the most applicable principles to the challenges marketers face today. They are:

1. Content. Creating a steady stream of content to engage your audience.
2. Connection. Creating content that connects with your target audience.
3. Communication. Creating content that engages your audience in an ongoing conversation.
4. Conversion. Creating content that converts your audience into customers.

Whether it be for the blogs we maintain or the magazines we publish, we get lots of press releases and "pitches" at Hammock, so we appreciated -- and wanted to pass along -- these tips for online publicity from writer Lindsay Robertson. Her post goes into detail on each one, but here are the highlights:

At Hammock, we are big believers that a well-executed content marketing strategy develops content and media that engage a potential customer. That is why marketers should review this six-step content marketing check-up before they finalize their content marketing plans for 2010.

The six steps include: mapping site content to the buying cycle, reducing friction on gated content, reviewing content analytics, capturing the value of content, including sharing options with your content and optimizing content for search. This exercise will help marketers assess what is and isn't working for them when it comes to their B2B content development and content marketing efforts.

The start of a new year always brings a plethora of prediction lists: Resolutions, trends and forecasts. A recent blog post over at MediaPost Communications highlighting Keith Kelsen, founder of the 5th Screen Project and a contributor to Digital Signage Today, lists 10 predictions for 2010. Including one of our favorites: Content!

"Content will continue to be the No. 1 trend. As always, the most important part of any strategy remains the most difficult. According to Kelsen, DO companies really only began addressing content seriously in 2009. Kelsen sees more custom content created especially for DO networks, but at the same time more 'continuity' between this content and content delivered via other channels like cinema, TV, PC and mobile."

We agree with the magazine experts at Foliomag.com who are predicting that content’s role for publishers this year will expand and grow. The creation and execution of targeted content will be a huge asset for publishers and will help them connect with their readers who are looking to access content not only in a variety of places, but also with different platforms and tools.

"It will be imperative to respond to the readers needs—where, when and in the format they prefer—or see yourself being pushed out of the market. Print will still play a flagship role for most magazine enterprises, but there will be a continued drive to expand existing channels including print magazines and newsletters, digital magazines and e-newsletters, mobile, Web sites, blogs, podcasts, virtual events, video and many others."